Some of the Time It Really Is Greener

The results of an IT hiring study referred to as the “Tech Talent Crunch” of 2011 were posted on Dice.com.  You can find them here:http://marketing.dice.com/pdf/Dice_TechTalentCrunch.pdf

Here’s the interesting thing about the study.  It showed that there are more IT jobs out there than there are qualified candidates.  To be more accurate, many states on the United States are experiencing a shortfall of talent.  Among several keys areas, the study highlights the ten states with the highest job surplus (meaning more jobs than talent).  They are some pretty big states, and I have personal experience with at least three of them.  So, it got me thinking…

Something ugly is on the horizon for companies that haven’t been too kind to their employees during this last recession.  After the tech bubble burst, IT professionals took a nice slap to the face.  There were more people than there were jobs, and IT pros felt the pain in the market.  Salaries were “compared to market” and adjusted to bring tech compensation more “in line” with other salaries.  IT was knocked off it’s pedestal, so to speak.  Then the housing bubble burst and the economy went into a more profound tailspin.  IT budgets were slashed again, this time in an effort to cut costs.  Companies were heading towards a crash and jettisoned what they could in order to save the proverbial plane from a fiery end.

These things happen.  They come in cycles.  They’ve happened before.  They will happen again.

The problem isn’t that they happen.  The problem is what we do when they happen.  My father always told me that it’s not only about what you do but also about how you did it.  The how, I think, is where the problems are going to come from.

If you’ve focused on everything but your productive, hard-working, midnight-oil-burning, brilliant IT staff, you stand a very good chance of losing the best and the brightest among them.  These are the people who acquired new skills and worked more hours while people looking to slash created working environments filled with insecurity, fear, and non-stop stress.  They did more with less, just like they were asked to do.  They innovated.  They found ways to economize.  They delivered results despite everything that was thrown at them.  They kept working when they were disrespected as human beings.  You can only do that to someone for so long…

Now, the IT jobs are coming back.  The people who were abused…they’re going to leave.  They are going to take those skills and go elsewhere.  Normally, they’ll leave for bigger salaries.  A bunch, though, are going to leave for less, and they’ll do so gladly knowing that they are going somewhere where the work they do is valued and in demand.

Sure, it may seem like the grass is greener on the other side…but some of the time it really is greener.